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The two wedding quilts Chen Shuyun had made were brought over as well. When Su Ying walked in carrying them, Gu Jinghong was craning his neck toward the door. The moment he saw her enter, he immediately lay back on his pillow, putting on a calm expression as he asked:
“You’re here?”
Su Ying was in low spirits and just gave a quiet “mm.” Then she looked around with the quilts in her arms and asked:
“Which room am I sleeping in?”
Ye Guanjun, who was sitting on a stool peeling an apple, looked up and pointed toward a single bed on one side of the room.
“Of course you’re sleeping here. We moved the bed in this afternoon just for you. That said, the big bed here could fit both of you too. You two can decide on that yourselves.”
He chuckled as he glanced at Gu Jinghong, earning himself a cold glare in return.
Ye set down the half-peeled apple and tidied his clothes before saying:
“Well, you two should turn in early. It’s your wedding night after all. Comrade Su Ying, thank you for your hard work. We’ll head out now. If you need anything at all, feel free to come find me.”
Su Ying watched Ye Guanjun and the others leave, still holding the two bright red wedding quilts. She stared at the narrow bed—barely a meter wide—and felt torn.
Even though Gu Jinghong was a patient, she still wanted her own space. Besides, she planned to report to the hospital the next day—she didn’t want to show up with dark circles under her eyes from a poor night’s sleep.
“You don’t have to listen to them. Take your quilts and pick whichever room you want.”
Su Ying’s eyes lit up and she quickly nodded.
“Thank you, Commander. You’re really thoughtful. You’re a good person.”
She hugged the quilts and dashed out like a startled rabbit.
Gu Jinghong’s lips twitched ever so slightly before he quickly schooled his expression. He slowly rotated his neck, eyes falling on the arm lying beside him. He tried his best to mentally command it to move, but it was as if the arm didn’t belong to him anymore—it didn’t respond at all.
Su Ying picked a room closest to Gu Jinghong’s, and it was quite spacious—with a large bed, easily about 1.8 meters wide.
Chen Shuyun had made double-sized quilts, which suited Su Ying perfectly. She put the extra one in the closet.
After bringing in some toiletries that had been left by the door, she returned to Gu Jinghong’s room.
“Commander, have you had dinner yet?”
“I have. Ye Guanjun brought it over from the mess hall earlier.”
“Oh, good.” Su Ying sat quietly on a stool nearby and picked up the half-peeled apple, her nose twitching at the fresh, pesticide-free scent.
Her stomach growled at the aroma, and she cursed herself silently for being so weak. She cut a small piece and held it up to Gu Jinghong’s mouth.
He looked at her and asked,
“You haven’t had dinner?”
Su Ying nodded, lips pressed together.
“They came to get me too early.”
Gu Jinghong hadn’t expected her to be so honest and couldn’t help chuckling.
“There’s a meal card in the cabinet. Take it and go get something to eat.”
Su Ying was grateful. He really was kind, always thinking of others. A genuinely good man.
“Then I’ll use it this once. After I report to work tomorrow, I’ll stop by the market and buy some groceries so we can cook ourselves. As for tonight’s meal…”
“Su Ying.”
Gu Jinghong suddenly called her name in a low, serious tone. Startled, Su Ying instinctively tightened her lips and stepped back, heart thumping in her chest.
Now she could understand how Li Weimin must’ve felt when scolded by Gu Jinghong—too intimidated to speak or even breathe.
His sudden change in tone was really scary, though she didn’t even know what she had done wrong.
“Wh-what? You’re sick… you need to keep your emotions stable. Getting angry isn’t good for your recovery.”
She stammered, considering whether she should back away further. But then she remembered—he was paralyzed. What was she afraid of? So, she stood her ground, stiffly bracing herself like a frightened rabbit pretending to be brave.
Gu Jinghong took a deep breath and softened his tone.
“I’m not angry. Comrade Su Ying, we’ve already registered our marriage. Though we can’t live as a real couple, taking care of you is still my responsibility. Also, staying by my side means you’ll suffer a lot, taking care of a paralyzed man like me. So this home, everything in it—you have a share too.”
Su Ying’s eyes widened. She had a share?
Her mind instantly wandered. The commander, with a general’s star on his shoulders, must have a hefty salary, right? The house probably belonged to him. And there was the TV, radio, refrigerator, washing machine, and even that beautiful redwood sofa set outside…
She shook her head hard, trying to shake off the greedy thoughts. None of this was hers. She couldn’t be so shameless. She now had a job—that alone gave her a stable life.
Gu Jinghong reminded her to take a flashlight since it was already dark outside.
But just as Su Ying opened the door, she was startled to see a woman standing there in a floral blouse.
The woman beamed at her.
“Oh my, the commander’s new bride is so pretty! It’s your wedding night—you need to eat something nice. I made dumplings and brought some over for you two!”
Just as she finished speaking, another woman arrived.
“Sister Wu, you’re here too? I made braised pork for the commander’s new wife. Also stir-fried two veggie dishes and boiled some eggs—can’t go hungry on your wedding night!”
Faced with their enthusiastic kindness, Su Ying was a bit overwhelmed. She quickly stepped aside to let them in.
“Thank you, really. This is too much—you should’ve kept some for yourselves.”
The women set the food down and called into the inner room.
“Commander, we came to see your bride and to check if there’s anything we can help with. Any laundry that needs washing? We can take it home and do it for you!”
Although Gu Jinghong was usually cold and distant, he was always respectful toward kind-hearted women like them.
“No need—everything’s taken care of. Thank you both.”
Su Ying quickly followed his lead and addressed them as “sisters-in-law.”
The women pulled her to sit with them, and Sister Wu leaned in and whispered:
“This is just how life is for us women. Don’t feel wronged. The commander’s health doesn’t allow for a big wedding—he can’t handle the stress. We all know it wasn’t easy for you to marry him, especially being so young. So if you ever need help with anything, just come to us.”
The other woman nodded.
“She’s right. And there’s another reason they didn’t make a big show of the wedding—it’s to avoid drawing attention from the capital. The commander is originally from Beijing. His parents and relatives are all there. He chose to stay in Jiangcheng himself, probably to avoid disturbing his family.”
Su Ying was puzzled.
“If his family’s in the capital, why does he live in Jiangcheng? Wouldn’t it be better to stay with his relatives so they could help take care of him?”
Both women shook their heads.
“We’re not sure either. The commander’s a quiet man—we rarely get to talk to him. We only help tidy up and do some laundry now and then. We really don’t know much about his family.”